Overhead carrier system



May 14, 1940. M. e. ROSENTHAL 2,201,013

OVERHEAD CARRIER SYSTEM I Filed Oct. 2. 1937 TI! .l 25 29 25 INVENTOR. 56.2 MORRIS 6.1%sE/wwn4 A TTORNEY5 Patented May 14, 1940 OVERHEAD CARRIER SYSTEM Morris G. Rosenthal, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Cleveland Crane & Engineering Company, Wicklifie, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 2, 1937, Serial No. 166,980

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to material handling tramrail systems, and more particularly to material handling tramrail systems provided with automatic. means for controlling the movement of the carriers thereon.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of an automatic or semi-automatic material handling tramrail system wherein an automatically operated transfer switch, adapted to be controlled by carriers moving on the system, will be renderedv inoperative, by a carrier moving therethrough, to subsequent carriers which would normally actuate the same, until the last carrier to actuate the switch has been i moved a predetermined distance past the switch.

The present invention resides in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, and further objects and advantages thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art to whichthe invention relates from the following description of the preferred embodiment thereof described with reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts and in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a portion of the semi-automatic overhead tramrail system embodying the present invention, and

Fig. 2 is a wiring diagram of the control circuit with the various switches, etc., in normal operating positions.

While the invention. is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, it is herein shown and described as embodied in an overhead semi-automatic tramrail system of the monorail type similar to that disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 164,684. For the most part the tramrail system herein referred to is commercially known in the art and only those parts thereof which are necessary to a complete and full understanding of the present invention are herein illustrated and described in detail.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows schematically a portion of an overhead semi-automatic tramrail system of the monorail type embodying the present invention and comprising a main loop, designated generally by the reference character A, a side loop B, and a branch line C.

The tramrail system shown includes automatic dispatch mechanism, that is mechanism for sending carriers automatically to predetermined stations or side loops. The main loop A comprises an overhead monorail track l, supported in any convenient manner from the superstructure of the building in which the system is housed. The

carriers designated generally by the reference character D may be of any commercially known construction; As shown, they comprise a pair of trucks H and I2 connected by a load bar, and a rack 13 suspended from the load bar andupcn 5 which the material or load to be transported is placed. The carriers are adapted to be moved along the track ID of the main loop by driving dogs I4 which engage behind a part of the carrier and push or pull the same about the loop. The dogs 14 are a part of a continuously moving power drive including a chain [5 driven in any convenient manner.

The side loop B may be one of a plurality of stations at which certain operations are performed on articles supported on the carriers, or it may be one of a plurality of stations at which certain articles are loaded onto or unloaded from the carriers. The branch line C may lead to such places as storage, other loops, etc. The carriers are transferred from the main loop A to the side loop B or to the branch line, etc., as the casemight be, through the medium of transfer switches, designated generally by the reference character E. These switches may be of any commercially known construction and are not herein illustrated and described in detail. In the present instance, the switches E, with the exception of the switch E leading from the side loop B to themain loop A, are fluid pressure actuated under the control of a solenoid operated valve I6, also of commercially known construction, the energization of the solenoids of which is automatically controlled by the carriers D moving on the system through the medium of limit switches I1 and IB, located at opposite sides of the respective transfer switches.

For the purpose of selecting the particular station or branch line, etc., to which it is desired to transfer a carrier, the carriers are provided with means for selectively actuating the limit switches ll located at the approaching side of the transfer switches E. In the present instance this mechanism comprises a tripper arm I9 fixed to the load bar of the carrier and provided with a plurality of holes therein for the reception and location of a station tripper cam adapted to strike or engage a depending arm of the particular limit switch I! for which it is set and operate the latter. The depending arms on different limit switches are located at different distances from the track ID, which distances correspond to different locations of the tripper cam 20 along the tripper arm Hi. The rack I3 is preferably swivelly connected to the load bar of the carrier D so that the swing of the carrier, as it travels about the curves, etc., will not move the tripper cam 20 out of the path of the limit switch arms. The limit switches l8 are adapted to be actuated by the carriers moving upon the section of rail adjacent which the respective switches are supported. s

The operation of the device thus far described is as follows:

As a carrier moves on the main loop underneath the limit switch 11 for which the tripper cam 26 is set, the tripper cam actuates the switch to energize the solenoid x of the electrically con-' trolled fluid pressure actuated valve 16, which moves the switch to a position where the curved section of rail 2|, carried thereby, is moved into line with the track It] of the main loop. As the carrier moves along the curved section of rail carried by the transfer switch and onto the track of the side loop, or branch line, as the case might be, continued movement of the carrier actuates the respective limit switch I8, closing the circuit to the solenoid y of the air valve to reset the transfer switch in its original position, that is, with the straight section of rail 22 in line with the track l0, Assuming that the operator located at the side loop B is finished with the carrier D, located therein, and wishes to dispatch it to another station, he first sets the tripper cam. 26 in the proper hole to select the desired station or branch line, after which he operates the manually controlled transfer switch E and pushes the carrier out onto the main loopfirst observing that the approaching dog I4 is unloaded. After the carrier has been pushed onto the main loop, the transfer switch is returned to its original position.

In order to prevent the actuation of the automatically controlled transfer switches E, after they have been operated by a carrier moving on the system, by subsequent carriers which would normally actuate the same, until the last carrier to actuate the same has been moved away from the switch a sufficient distance so as not to interferewith a second carrier entering therethrough, a third limit switch 23 of commercially known construction is provided located adjacent the side loop or branch line, as the case may be, a predetermined distance behind the switch. The third limit switch 23 is adapted to be actuated by the carriers in a manner similar to that in which the limit switches l8 are actuated thereby. Reference to the wiring diagram will show that the normally open limit switch I l in the circuit 24 to the solenoid it: of the valve I6 is also in series with a pair of contacts in a relay 25, of commercially known construction, normally retained closed through a holding circuit 26 in which the normally closed contactorof the limit switch l8 and a second pair of contacts of the relay are in series. With the switches, etc., in their normal position, as shown in the Wiring diagram, the transfer switch is thrown open upon the limit switch being closed by a carrier passing thereunder. As the carrier passes underneath the limit switch l8, the circuit 21 to the relay 25, which circuit forms a part of the holding circuit 26, is opened breaking the holding circuit and opening the relay. At the same time the second set of contacts in the switch l8, that is the contacts in the circuit 28 to the solenoid y are closed, shifting the valve E6 to return the transfer switch to its original position.

Successive operations of the limit switch H will not now effect a movement of the transfer switch since the circuit 24 to the solenoid :c is

open at the relay, and succeeding carriers which would normally be transferred from the main loop will continue thereon. As the carrier D" which has just been transferred to the side loop B is moved, in the present instance manually, underneath the limit switch 23, it actuates the latter to temporarily close the circuit 29 to the relay 25. As soon as the relay closes, it is held in this position by the holding circuits 26 and 21. From the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be apparent that the objects of the invention heretofore enumerated and others have been accomplished and that an overhead tramrail system of the character referred to has been provided wherein an automatically operated transfer switch, adapted to be controlled by carriers moving on the system, will be rendered inoperative, by a carrier moving through the same, to subsequent carriers which would normally actuate it, until the last carrier to actuate the switch has been moved a predetermined distance past the transfer switch. .In the particular system shown, the carriers are moved by a chain pusher, but it will be apparent that the movement of the carriers can be accomplished by other means, such as by individual motor drives or by tractors, etc. While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in considerable detail, it will be readily apparent that the invention may be otherwise embodied and it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular construction herein shown and described. It is the intention to cover hereby all adaptations, modifications, and variations coming within the practice of those skilled in the art to which the invention relates and within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1. In an overhead tramrail system of the character referred to the combination of: a suspended overhead monorail track system comprising a main track, a plurality of branch tracks, and a plurality of switches associated with said tracks; a plurality of carriers on said main track; means on said carriers for actuating said switches to a position to transfer a carrier from said main track to one of said branch tracks; means for returning said switches to their original positions after a carrier has moved therethrough onto a branch track; and means for preventing the subsequent actuation of a switch after it has been returned to its original position by a succeeding carrier on said main track until a carrier transferred to said branch track has moved along said branch track a predetermined distance away from said switch.

2. In an overhead tramrail system of the character referred to the combination of: a suspended overhead monorail track system comprising a main track, a plurality of branch tracks and a plurality of switches associated with said tracks; a plurality of carriers on said main track; means on said carriers for selectively actuating said switches to a position to transfer carriers from said main track to said branch tracks; means controlled by the carrier transferred onto the branch tracks for returning said switches to their original positions after a carrier has moved therethrough onto a branch track; and means for preventing the subsequent actuation of a switch after it has been returned to its original position by a succeeding carrier on the main track until a carrier transferred to said branch track has moved along said branch track a predetermined distance away from said transfer switch.

3. In an overhead tramrail system of the character referred to the combination of a suspended overhead monorail track system comprising a main track, a branch track and a switch associated with said tracks; a plurality of carriers on said track system, an electric circuit associated with said switch adapted when closed to cause said switch to move to a position to connect the branch track with the main track; normally open contacts in said circuit adapted to be closed by a carrier moving on said main track, means actuated by a carrier on said branch track for returning said switch to its original position after the carrier has moved therethrough onto said branch track, normally closed contacts in said circuit in series with said normally open contacts therein, means actuated by a carrier on said system for opening said normally closed contacts in the circuit subsequent to the closing of said normally open contacts in series therewith, and. means actuated by a carrier transferred to the branch track for again closing said normally closed contacts after the carrier transferred to the branch track has moved along the branch track a predetermined distance away from the switch. I l

4. In an overhead tramrail system of the character referred to the combination of a suspended overhead monorail track system comprising a main track, a plurality of branch tracks, and a plurality of switches associated with said tracks; a plurality of carriers on said track system; an electric circuit associated with each switch adapted when closed to cause the switch with which it is associated to move to a position to connect one of said branch tracks with the main track; normally open contacts in each of said circuits adapted to be selectively closed by carriers moving on said main track; means actuated by a carrier on said branch track for returning said switches to their original positions after the carrier has moved therethrough onto a branch track; normally closed contacts in each of said circuits in series with said normally open contacts therein; means actuated by a carrier on the system for opening said normally closed contacts in the circuit subsequent to the closing of said normally open contacts in series therewith; and means actuated by a carrier transferred to the branch track for again closing said normally closed contacts after the carrier transferred to the branch track has moved along the branch track a predetermined distance away from the switch.

5., In an overhead tramrail system of the character referred to the combination of: a suspended overhead monorail track system comprising a main track, a plurality of branch tracks, and a plurality of switches associated with said tracks; a plurality of carriers on said track system; an electric circuit associated with each switch adapted when closed to cause the switch with which it is associated to move to a position to connect one of said branch tracks with the main track; nored to be selectively closed by carriers moving on said main track; means controlled by carriers transferred to branch tracks for returning the switches to their original positions, normally closed contacts .in each of said circuits in series with said normally open contacts therein, means controlled by carriers transferred to the branch tracks for opening said normally closed contacts in the circuit subsequent to the closing of said normally open contacts in series therewith; and means controlled by carriers transferred to the branch tracks for again closing said normally closed contacts after carriers transferred to the branch. tracks have moved along the branch tracks a predetermined distance away from the switches.

6. In an overhead tramrail system of the character referred to the combination of: a suspended overhead monorail track system comprising a main track, a branch track, and a switch associated with said tracks for connecting said main track with said branch track; a plurality of carriers movable on said track system; an electric circuit associated with said switch adapted when closed to cause said switch to move to a position to connect said main track with said branch track; a normally open switch in said circuit adapted to be closed by the carrier on said main rack; a second switch having both normally open and normally closed contacts adapted to be controlled by a carrier transferred from said main track to said branch track; a normally 'open third switch in said circuit spaced along said branch track at least a distance from said switch equal to the length of one of said carriers, said normally open third switch being adapted to be closed by a carrier transferred from said main track to said branch track; a normally closed relay having two sets of contacts therein; said first mentioned switch and one set of said contacts of said relay being in series in said circuit which when closed cause the switch-es to be thrown to a position to connect said main track with said branch track; said normally open contacts of said second switch being in series in a circuit which when closed cause the switch to be returned to its original position; said normally closed contacts of said second switch and said third switch being in series in a circuit which when closed energizes the operating coil of said relay; said second set of contacts of said relay being in parallel circuit with said third switch and in series circuit with the normally closed contacts of said second switch in a circuit which when closed energizes the operating coil of said relay.

MORRIS G. ROSENTI-IAL. 

